A brief respite from the holiday rush

I was going a hundred miles an hour at home yesterday, cleaning, decorating, making long shopping lists, and generally being frantic, when my husband Wayne suggested a lunch "down the valley." There is an older part of town south of where we live, called the Lower Valley, that still retains a flavor of the past, with many small businesses, cotton fields, and several missions.

One of our favorite restaurants is El Mesón de Oñate on Socorro Road.

Outside view of El Mesón de Oñate 

The dining room was not crowded like many mall restaurants are this time of year.  Ah, the calm!

Interior of restaurant

We relaxed and dived into the complimentary basket of tostadas with red and green chile sauce. Yum.   Potato chips I can resist, tostadas I cannot.

Tostadas, red chile sauce, green chile sauce

Wayne's favorite dish here is a taco salad, served in a large fried corn tortilla shell.  I generally order the caldo de res, which is a special type of beef stew with carrots, cabbage. corn on the cob and zucchini squash, It is served with a slice of lime, Mexican-style rice, and warm corn tortillas. I put the meat over on Wayne's plate and then enjoy an (almost) vegetarian meal.

Caldo de res

Caldo de res  is a staple of Mexican restaurants in our area and is generally served for lunch. Several times I have arrived at a restaurant on a chilly day for a late lunch of caldo, only to be told "Ya no hay."  (It's all gone).

We were unfortunately too full to order a traditional dessert of flan, a special type of custard with caramel sauce. 

As we left the restaurant, I could see the Socorro Mission in the distance, reminding me of the long history and special character of this area.

Socorro Mission in the distance

Lunch at El Mesón de Oñate was a brief but welcome respite to the hustle and bustle of the season.  Bring on those holiday tasks. I'm ready now! 

A fun pre-Christmas Sunday

Around the first day of December each year, I start scouring the local media sources for inspiration to get into the Christmas spirit.  I'm one of those people (like Dicken's Scrooge) who needs a boost to reset my normally serious personality with the holiday spirit.

So when I read that Ardovino's Desert Crossing was holding their annual Christmas Fair on Sunday, December 7, I started anticipating the chance to add a little sparkle to life.  Ardovino's is a unique establishment located just over the state line from El Paso, Texas in the neighboring town of Sunland Park, New Mexico.

Entrance to Ardovino's Desert Crossing

Ardovino's is loaded with charm.  It consists of a comfortable bar, a gourmet restaurant with scenic views over the mountains, and several outdoor areas with plants native to our southwest area.  A windmill and an outdoor tiled pizza oven add personality to the grounds.  The Christmas Fair was held in a large outbuilding and tent on the property.

Patio at Ardovino's Desert Crossing

On days and evenings when the weather cooperates - and it often does in the Desert Southwest- diners can sit outside on the patio.  And if you are there at just the right time, you can catch a view of a train coming around the mountain, 

Can you spot the train on the left?

My husband Wayne and I decided to have breakfast before we attended the fair.  A wreath greeted us at the door of the restaurant.

Entrance to restaurant

The restaurant was lively, filled with diners of all ages and walks of life.

Ardovino's Restaurant

I am almost embarrassed to admit that I ordered a breakfast dish called"Trailer Park Biscuits and Gravy."  And it was quite a treat.

Fortified with good food and strong coffee, we were ready for the Christmas Fair.  And it did have holiday atmosphere.  Lots of cheerful people were browsing the vendors' tables for home baked goods, items for house decoration (many with  local themes), plants, clothing, soaps, and holiday gifts.

Although we came away empty handed, the Ardovino's Christmas Fair experience made me feel like the holidays are really here. Bring on the decorating, the card addressing, the cookie making, and the present wrapping.  I'm ready for you now.

Some bright spots in a gloomy day

Yes, it is definitely autumn in El Paso, Texas. Rain is predicted for today. The promise of precipitation has great significance in the desert southwest, where average rainfall is only about nine inches a year. Although the normally brilliant blue sky is now a monotonous gray cloud cover, the hint of moisture in the atmosphere calls a person outside.  And walking in the yard in the early morning about an hour after sunrise,  here are some bright spots I discovered.

Pomegranate tree

The pomegranate tree (or rather bush!) has put on its light gold fall colors.  Pomegranate trees grow well in our area.  We have the one pictured in a sheltered courtyard and another volunteer plant in the back yard.  They were actual trees until a severe frost damaged them several winters ago.

Pyrancantha bush

The pyracantha bush has put on a brilliant display of Christmas red berries just in time for the season. The plant was a tiny close-out purchase from a local nursery years ago for under five dollars. The bush does take some pruning from time to time, but when the cooler weather arrives, it is one of my favorite plants. 

Green cassia

The cassia has grown into a monster!  In early spring, it will have fragrant yellow blossoms.  My husband and I keep telling each other we need to prune the cassia back, but no one has volunteered to tackle that task yet.

The sage bush, where the outdoor cat Cry Baby has a hiding spot, puts on colorful purple blooms when the atmospheric conditions (details of which are still a bit of a mystery to me) are just right.  I'm going to check for color in a couple of days because of our rain chances this week.

Sometimes we try so hard to make a beautiful yard, when all it takes is accepting what nature has to offer. This desert plant volunteered to grow in a sheltered spot, and I find it quite attractive.

I have a special place in my heart for the hardy, undemanding plants in our yard. No pampering required here!   These plants certainly lifted my spirits while I was waiting for the sun to return to the desert southwest.

Bring on the comfort food!

Well, it's finally here with a vengeance.  Fall weather - short days, long nights, colder and often windy weather.  I find myself wanting some good old-fashioned southern comfort food.  But what would that be exactly? Maybe something warm, tossing calorie counting and healthy eating to the winds, and with faint remembrances of grandmother in the kitchen?

The recipe that caught my eye appeared in the November 14-16, 2014 edition of USA Weekend, "Spoon Bread with Cranberries."  First of all, be forewarned that I didn't notice this recipe feeds 10 people! I"m now looking for creative ways to use the leftovers.  I suggest reducing the recipe by half for smaller households.

First butter a 9-by-13 baking dish and sprinkle fresh cranberries in the bottom.  Then mix the dry ingredients -  one cup yellow cornmeal, 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon kosher salt. and a pinch of nutmeg.  In a separate bowl, combine the liquid ingredients - 3 cups buttermilk, 3 large egg yolks, 3 tablespoons melted butter, and zest of 1 orange. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients.  Then beat 3 egg whites until soft peaks form and add to bowl.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes.  Serve warm by spooning from baking dish.

The recipe goes together quickly.  My husband Wayne took on the role of sous chef and grated an orange for the orange zest, made buttermilk from buttermilk powder, and whipped the egg whites.  I did the easy parts!

The taste was ...interesting!  The combination of the soft, soothing bread with a sharp, unexpected taste of fresh cranberries kept us sneaking just one more bite from the pan. But finally we decided - more sweetness - that's what the dish needed! We added sweetener until the dish tasted more like a dessert, maybe a bread pudding,  than a bread served with the main meal.

The first time I make a recipe, I  follow it exactly, measuring every ingredient and stirring and mixing exactly according to directions.  The second time, I like to play around with the recipe.  Plans for my next try at spoon bread with cranberries are to increase the sugar to 3 tablespoons and perhaps add golden raisins. Right now, I need to get creative with the leftover spoon bread still in the refrigerator and even in the freezer.  Sweetened whipping cream for a topping?  Some type of orange glaze?  A fruit topping?  

The spoon bread has a wonderful texture.  The cranberries are festive and seasonal, a true taste of southern comfort. Bring on the winter weather.  We are ready for you!       

Ah! A Magical Saturday!

Sometimes I question our family decisions to drive an hour for morning coffee in a special location, but when we arrived at The Bean in Mesilla, New Mexico, I knew we were on the right track for a great Saturday getaway.

The Bean, Mesilla New Mexico

It was, after all, my birthday celebration, and my husband Wayne and I decided to take advantage of all our neighboring state has to offer.

The Bean is a small. slightly quirky cafe that offers coffee and pastries as well as lunch items.  It has both indoor and outdoor seating.  We like to sit outside at a table under an umbrella to observe the many interesting Bean patrons and the comings and goings of this quiet, historic New Mexico  town.

Fueled by coffee and a large Good Morning muffin, we drove to downtown Las Cruces to the Farmers' Market, held every week on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.  What a feast for the senses!  Locally grown vegetables piled high on tables, handmade arts and crafts, music by street musicians, food trucks, cafes, native plants, and family pets out for a stroll.

Irresistible!

 A stop at the Robledo Vista Nursery display of native plants is de rigueur.

So many plants, so little time

We bought a small damianita plant for our new "Tucson Garden".  This is what the plant should look like when it grows up.  I have my fingers crossed for our tiny plant.

Damianita in full bloom

The indoor/outdoor cafe, called The Bistro, looked like a great spot to enjoy the market.  We'll have to explore it next visit.

The Bistro Cafe

But this Saturday, we already had our tummies set for lunch at Peppers Cafe, located in the historic Double Eagle Restaurant located on the plaza in Mesilla. We admired the renovated bandstand

Bandstand  in Mesilla

and the calming presence of  San Albino Basilica.

San Albino Basilica

Next stop after lunch was the Fountain Theater for a showing of "Magic by Moonlight," starring Colin Firth and Emma Stone and directed by Woody Allen.  

Wall mural in historic Fountain Theater

I admire the talent of Woody Allen to create an atmosphere that takes me out of the ordinary world ("Midnight in Paris" is a favorite of mine).  But the real experience of spending a perfect Saturday in New Mexico also brought touch of  magic to my life. 

New thoughts about Southwest Cacti

Autumn in El Paso, Texas.  Days getting shorter.  Nights getting longer.  Dusk arrives around 4:30 in the afternoon and by 5:30 it is pitch black.  I feel a frantic need to garden as much as possible before winter sets in.  This  melancholy thought inspired me to attend a recent Saturday workshop presented by the El Paso Cactus and Rock Club.  I was looking for inspiration for the southwest life style that my husband Wayne and I enjoy, and I found it.

Jim Hastings, "The Gringo Gourmet," had set up a table for his presentation, "Not Your Mama's Nopalitos."   

Jim Hasting's display table

Nopalitos are the diced pads of prickly pear cacti.   I have often seen packaged nopalitos in the produce departments of local markets and have even bought a package or two through the years.

Packaged nopalitos

But I could never get past their sticky texture to create a tempting dish. Jim convinced me to give the nutritious nopalitos another try.

He demonstrated how nopalitos sauteed in a frying pan with a little water added from time to time for steam could get rid of the mocos (if you don't know this word in Spanish, we won't gross you out by translating it).  Then you add the cooked nopalitos to a variety of dishes, limited only by your sense of adventure.  There are tempting recipes available on the Internet for nopalitos with scrambled eggs, nopalito tacos, and nopalito salsa, to mention only a few.  Jim combined nopalitos with squash and corn, cooking up an attractive vegetable side dish that he passed out in small tasting cups to the audience.  I found myself wanting more than just a taste. 

I'm intrigued by the idea of joining the national movement to use more local produce and am looking forward to visiting Jim's web site, http://www.thegringogourmet.com for inspiration .  If I have any nopalito cooking success, I'll share the recipe on a future blog post.

After this feast for my taste buds, I found a feast for my eyes in a Bishop's Cap cactus for sale. It was love at first sight. 

Bishop's Cap Cactus

Isn't it a beauty?   This is the Astrophytum myriostigma.   It is called the "star cactus" when it is young.   And this specimen was just about to flower.  Bishop's Caps usually only flower when they are five or six years old, so I knew I had a mature specimen.   I had to buy the Bishop's Cap to live in our new outdoor area we are calling the "Tucson Yard." 

Now I'm looking forward to fall projects of cooking and planting, thanks to the El Paso Cactus and Rock Club.  If  the sun would only peek out today, I would be completely at peace with living in the Desert Southwest.

Old cookbooks help celebrate the autumn season

Autumn is making its presence known in subtle ways in the Desert Southwest. It's almost November. after all.  I still haven't seen trees in town with leaves changing colors, but the air has a hint of chill in early mornings and late afternoons.  And now just two weeks before Daylight Savings Time ends, our household beats the sun up and awakes in the dark.  My thoughts turn to comfort food.

One morning this week, my husband Wayne greeted me with a large mug of coffee and a basket of warm bran muffins.  And these were not your grandmother's bran muffins.  My husband the chef had taken a recipe from an old, paperback Favorite Brand Name Recipe Cookbook and made the humble bran muffin into a gourmet treat.

This is his description of the muffin making.  Mix together 1 1/4 all-purpose flour,  1 T baking powder, 1/2 t salt and 1 cup Splenda.  In another bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups All Bran cereal with 1 1/4 cups milk and let mixture stand a few minutes until softened.  Then add 1 egg and 1/3 cup vegetable oil to the cereal mixture.  Finally add the flour mixture. Next came the special
additions - 3/4 cup raisins and 3/4 cup chopped pecans.  Bake in muffin pans at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.  Here was the tasty result:

Speaking as someone who didn't have to do the baking, the muffins were truly a treat on a chilly morning.

All-Bran Muffins brought to mind another recipe we used to make often,  Six-Week Muffins. At first the name may be a bit off-putting (the batter is supposed to keep for six weeks in the refrigerator!).  I can't personally vouch for the longevity of the batter because we always used it up long before the six weeks period was over.  But I can say that it was great to have something pre-mixed and ready to cook on busy mornings.

When I looked for the Six-Week Muffin recipe in another old cookbook, this one published locally in 1982 by Sue Turner, I discovered that we had used the recipe so often and spilled so much batter on it that it was no longer legible.  I found a similar recipe on p. 210 of  Lone Star Legacy I. Here is how it goes:

Add 5 t baking soda to 2 cups of boiling water and let cool.  Cream 1 cup shortening with 2 cups sugar (or Splenda), add 4 eggs and the soda mixture.  Then add 1 quart buttermilk, 4 cups flour, 1 t salt, 4 cups All Bran, 2 cups 40% Bran, and 2 cups of dates, raisins or both.  Mix well and store covered in refrigerator.  When ready to use, bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. 

I hope you will enjoy a breakfast muffin some cool autumn morning.  I had a little help writing this blog from our cat, Bitsy!

A getaway Saturday in New Mexico

Do you sometimes feel bored with your home town?  Been everywhere, done everything?  That is how I felt on a recent autumn Saturday morning in El Paso, Texas.  Fortunately, El Paso is located on the tip of Texas, right on the border with both Old and New Mexico. I decided to stop complaining and drive the 45 minutes or so that would take me to Sunland Park, New Mexico to Ardovino's Desert Crossing.

Ardovino's is many things - a great restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, a convivial lounge, a music venue, and a showcase for arts and crafts fairs.  This Saturday morning, Ardovino's was hosting the farmer's market that is a weekly event during the warmer months.

Booths had been set up in the large parking lot by local vendors selling fruits and vegetables, baked goods, and arts and crafts.  I bought a package of powdered red chile to mail to a family member who lives on the East Coast and a ripe-smelling cantaloupe for my supper.

A typical produce booth

It is harvest time in the Desert Southwest, and the variety of locally grown produce enticed buyers.

Tempting produce

I interrupted my shopping for a late morning coffee and pastry while doing some very interesting people (and dog) watching.  I love the relaxed dress and demeanor of Saturday shoppers.

Filling the coffee urn

My next stop was a little further north into New Mexico.  A leisurely drive on NM28 took me to Sierra Vista Growers, a plant nursery.  Here's where I had to really hold on to my pocket book.  I wanted one of everything.  Don't they say the fall season is for planting?

An outdoor pumpkin display set the shopping mood

I'll admit it.  The massed geraniums in the greenhouse seduced me.

How could I resist the gorgeous colors?

 This is the geranium that went home with me to live in a hanging basket under the grape arbor.

I was drawn by the unusual color and pattern.

I filled my car with plants of all descriptions and headed home.  It is always amazing to me how our yard seems to gobble up plants.  The new plants look so big in the nursery and so little once they are in the ground.  But the new acquisitions have given me another reason to walk in the garden to see if they like their new homes.

The Saturday morning jaunt to New Mexico (involving food, plants, and beautiful scenery) certainly cured the blahs for me.  Now I can start daydreaming about how to enjoy the Desert Southwest next weekend.  Any suggestions?

Please note:  southwestloversblog is going on vacation and will return on October 30.

Enjoying Autumn -Southwest Style

The British prefer the word 'autumn' to 'fall' to name the season we are now in, and I must admit 'autumn' has a ring to it.  Maybe it's because 'fall' has many other meanings, not all of them pleasant (fall down, fall flat, fall foul, fall from grace). My Merriam Webster dictionary defines 'autumn' as "the season between summer and winter." But autumn means much more to me than merely a transitional season. It is my favorite time of year in the Desert Southwest.

It's time to take advantage of the glorious weather.  Those 90 and 100 degree summer daytime temperatures are now thankfully behind us.  Somewhere in the 80's in the daytime and the high 60's at night are more typical temperatures.  One of the first things I do every morning is open up all the doors in the house and let the cool air in.

Front doors flung wide open

Looking out into the courtyard in the morning

I can enjoy a second cup of coffee because I don't have to hurry to take a walk around the neighborhood before the sun starts beating down.

As I take a leisurely stroll in the garden, I can see that I am not the only one happy about the cooler weather.  The plants are putting on luxuriant growth and blooms.  This is a plant I confiscated from a vacant lot many years ago.  It has burst into bloom this autumn.

Snake Weed

A tacoma stans,(yellow bells) in the hot front yard is finally showing some life and greeting the autumn season with blooms.

Looks like a trumpet vine, but with yellow blooms

I have been waiting all year for the rain lily to do something spectacular, and with the autumn rains, it has obliged me.

Rain Lily

They say autumn is the time for planting, so I just installed several lantana plants along the sidewalk leading to the front door.  The yellow lantanas that one sees all around the Southwest are attractive, but I find the colors of this red lantana more eye-catching.

Lantana

Finally, I swing around to the backyard, say hello to the outside cats, and check the wildflowers bed, which is like opening a surprise package.  I'm not sure of the name of this flower, but it is spectacular.

Wildflower

I know that in many parts of the world,  the leaves will soon be turning those wonderful autumn colors. dark reds, yellows, and oranges in many shades.  But in my part of the world, we still have six more wonderful weeks of green trees, plants and grass, a real treat in the Desert Southwest.

Creating a Tucson Yard

I often chuckle in disbelief when I see homes being redecorated on HGTV from discarded furniture and accessories stored in the owner's attic.  Oh, sure, I think to myself.  How realistic is that?

Attic with furniture treasures

But now I am eating my words. My husband Wayne and I are following the same principle in populating our new Tucson Yard - digging up volunteer plants from other parts of the yard, taking cuttings, dividing larger plants, and moving large rocks.  

We created the Tucson Yard because we wanted to get rid of a large area of water-gobbling bermuda grass, and we have been impressed by the landscapes of Tucson, Arizona.  The Tucson gardens are xeriscaped for low water use, but they are also varied and colorful.  Too often in my home town of El Paso, Texas, we think of desert yards as being only lots of rock and a few hardy cacti. I have heard some cynical gardeners refer to our local yards are being "zeroscaped".

First we had to create the "bones" of the new  Tucson garden by contracting out the creation of pillars and a brick walkway as well as the placement of large beams.

Tuscon Yard Structure

Then the fun part began.  We walked around the property, discussing where we could find plants and decorations for the new yard.  The first selection was a spineless prickly pear cactus that had long ago outgrown its pot.

Spineless prickly pear cactus

We knew we had to try to transplant a Mexican Bird of Paradise, because they grow prolifically (some might even say invasively) in our yard.  This plant will grow rapidly and produce exotic yellow flowers.

Mexican Bird of Paradise

Another favorite we had to try to duplicate was the candelilla plant.  It is grown in the Big Bend region of Texas and was formerly harvested to make wax.  This new plant, created by digging up part of an existing candelilla, is already producing small white flowers on the stems.

Candelilla

It wasn't just plants that we discovered for the new area.  We also found a old pot that paired well with a red yucca dug up from the front yard.

Red yucca and pot

This cow skull, of unknown origin,  now has a prominent place in the new yard.

Cow skull

The ocotillo was another plant that we have had success with in the past.  The branch cut from an existing ocotillo did not survive, but the little ocotillo that had been a volunteer plant in our yard is green.

One ocotillo success and one failure

To me, the best addition to the Tucson yard was a metal sculpture of Mother Earth that Wayne made recently.  She had been hanging on a wall in the courtyard, but I think she gets lots more attention between two pillars in the new area.

Mother Earth

The one new little plant in the Tucson yard that we are babying is the greasewood, or creosote bush. These plants grow wild on our property, but we have never  transplanted one successfully. One of us checks it every day for signs of new growth, and it has been touch and go.  Sometimes the plant looks like it has given up the ghost, only to put on a few green leaves the next day to give us hope. Greasewoods are mostly responsible for giving the desert a wonderful aroma after a rain shower.  To me, they smell delightfully like witch hazel.

Is the creosote alive or just stringing us along?

We hope we have created a worthy replica of a Tucson Yard.  And putting it together slowly from odds and ends has been lots more fun than having those HGTV landscapers come in with crews to finish the project in one day.  At least I think so....